


Happily

by bobbysghost



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bucky is shy, Bucky x Reader, F/M, reader is an avenger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:34:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24428827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bobbysghost/pseuds/bobbysghost
Summary: Bucky is surprised when he settles into life with the Avengers to find the sweetest girl he'd ever known
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader
Comments: 3
Kudos: 104





	Happily

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this very quickly and have barely proofread it. Just an idea which had been floating around in my head. Enjoy :)

Settling into a new life with the Avengers wasn’t easy for Bucky.

How could it be? He had spent decades ‘sleepwalking’, as he liked to put it, a dormant brain inside a robot. It was always the same – he’d be woken up, sent on a mission, report back, be put to sleep. Occasionally, H.Y.D.R.A. changed it up a little by giving him electroshock therapy, but that was as thrilling as it got.

But within the first month of living in the Tower, he experienced more excitement than he had in the last fifty years of his life.

It was odd at first. He didn’t know what to do with himself. Everyone already had a place, a routine, and for the first few days Bucky felt like he was intruding. It took him a while to realise Natasha liked complete silence in the mornings, until she finished her first coffee of the day – he found that out the hard way. He didn’t know that, in the afternoons after a morning briefing, Bruce liked to curl up in the comfy armchair by the window, an herbal tea in one hand and the mission notes in the other. He felt bad that he was interrupting those moments.

Soon, however, Bucky began to be integrated into these precious moments. He joined Steve and Sam on their morning runs; Natasha began brewing him a cup alongside her own; Clint asked him to train with him. It was a strange, uncertain process, but one Bucky found himself enjoying.

He settled into his happy new routine – it was exhilarating, being able to do whatever he wanted, when he wanted (within reason, of course). He could exercise when he wanted too, eat whenever he was hungry. Hell, he didn’t even have to sleep if he couldn’t. Bucky spent many sleepless nights in the rooftop pool, or the gym, or perusing Tony’s extravagant streaming service collection.

His arm even got an upgrade.

It was one thing being introduced to his new life, but a new life in the _future_ was something Bucky wasn’t completely comfortable with. The amount of _choice_ he had over… everything, was his favourite part. He didn’t have to wait for his favourite film to be shown at the pictures, it was there on the T.V. Bucky could cook anything for dinner, and if he didn’t feel like standing over an oven for an hour, he could get it _delivered_. Life was undoubtedly a lot more surreal.

That didn’t mean the nightmares stopped, however. Bucky still experienced them, almost every night. He still had flashes of when he was the Winter Soldier. Steve had to snap him out of reverting back to the _Soldat._ After those particular episodes, Bucky didn’t speak to anyone, and luckily, nobody spoke to him. The headaches and swirling guilt only lasted a day after, which meant he was healing.

As Bucky was still on probation, he hadn’t been called to any missions. He was expected to sit in on debriefings, and go over any paperwork with Steve, but that was it. In some sense, he was happy he wasn’t allowed – Bucky didn’t think he was ready to get back to killing yet, and besides, he was happy flitting around the Tower all day. There was always something to do. But it was lonely, sometimes.

\---

There was a meeting every Monday morning, 9 A.M. sharp. Normally, Steve would spearhead it (being the leader of the Avengers and whatnot – his smugness about it infuriated Bucky), but this morning was different. When Bucky trudged in, hot coffee in hand, he was surprised to see Nicholas J. Fury himself at the head of the long table. He hadn’t seen the director since he had been formally inducted into the team, and that was just a shake of a hand and his signature on some paperwork.

Bucky seated himself between Natasha and Thor, who he was also a little shocked to see. The Asgardian didn’t make a habit of staying at the Tower. He nudged Natasha’s chair with his foot.

“What’s going on?” he half whispered as the rest of the team filed into the room.

Natasha shrugged; her attention was drawn to the chipping varnish on her nails. “No clue, looks like Fury’s going to say something important, though. Apparently he asked Thor to come specifically.”

Tony was the last one in, the bags under his eyes prominent and the mug in his hand smelling faintly like whiskey. The billionaire was perhaps the only other person whom Bucky knew that slept worse than he did.

Fury began the meeting as normal, going through the mission rotas for the week, and handing out numerous files. Bucky switched off for most of it – he was just there as a formality; he didn’t need to listen. After about an hour, Fury cleared his throat.

“One last thing. Tomorrow, Agent [Y/L/N] will be returning from her undercover work.”

The name didn’t mean anything to Bucky, but everybody around him straightened up, and murmurs surrounded him. He looked around, a confused expression on his face.

“[Y/N]’s coming back?” Sam asked, his tone excitable.

Wanda, who had been sharing incredulous looks with Natasha, lent forward. “She isn’t hurt, is she?”

“Her mission has been successful, and she’s on her flight back,” Fury checked his watch, “as we speak.”

Clint let out a cheer, leaning over to high five Sam. Thor was smiling, promising to stay until he saw ‘Lady [Y/N]’, Tony had perked up a little and was talking to Bruce about what her mission could’ve been.

Bucky frowned slightly – nobody had even mentioned this name to him before, but it had sent them all crazy. Fury dismissed the meeting, and he stood up, questions flying about his brain. Who _was_ this girl?

As he walked out, he jogged a little to keep up with Steve, who greeted him. They had planned go over his mission folder after Fury was done.

“Who’s this Agent everyone’s on about? I thought I’d met everybody, even the aliens.”

Steve chuckled slightly as they made their way to his office. “[Y/N] [Y/L/N], she’s one of our best Agents. I’m excited for you to get the chance to talk to her, actually.”

Bucky wrinkled his nose slightly, “is she powered, like Wanda?” He didn’t have anything against the younger witch, he was just old fashioned. The way she could see into his mind… freaked him out.

“Nope,” Steve shook his head, “she’s been trained under S.H.I.E.L.D. since she was fifteen. A master in undercover and stealth missions, but you don’t expect it when you meet her. I guess that’s why Fury gets her on all these long-haul assignments. She’s been gone for a year on this one.”

“What’s she like then?” As they reached Steve’s office, Bucky sat himself down on the couch with a huff.

Steve grinned, sitting down in his own chair behind the desk. “She’s brilliant, Buck. As cute as a candy bar. She’s got everybody in the team wrapped around her little finger, but she’d do anything for anyone. She’s just… _kind_.”

Letting out a chuckle, Bucky grabbed the file Steve chucked at him. “You sweet on her or something, pal?” It sure sounded like he was.

“Not at all,” Steve grinned, “you’ll see what I mean when you meet her.”

The topic soon moved onto the missions Steve was involved in over the next week – two recon assignments of possible H.Y.D.R.A. bases. The name still sent a twang up Bucky’s metal arm. After a couple of hours of filling out paperwork and mild chatter, Bucky was feeling drowsy – trust homework to be the only thing that could put him to sleep.

He excused himself, promising to finish his pile of papers in the morning. As he walked towards his room – well, his apartment; the tower was big enough for each Avenger to have their own flat – he rubbed his eyes. Although he was tired, Bucky’s mind was whirring. He was curious about this girl, this apparent ‘angel’.

Bucky slipped into his bed. It was nice, perhaps a little too big and a little too soft, but it would do. He sighed, staring up at the ceiling. It was odd that nobody had mentioned her to him – were they trying to hide her? To protect her? He wouldn’t blame them.

As those thoughts swam through his head, Bucky felt his eyes droop.

\---

The next morning, Bucky woke feeling well-rested, for once. That still didn’t stop the need for a coffee in his brain. He went about his normal morning routine; shower, dress, checking the bullets in the gun under his pillow. After he was satisfied, Bucky headed towards the kitchen. It was early, but hopefully Natasha was already awake, so maybe there would be a hot mug waiting for him.

However, the normal smell of burning beans wasn’t wafting out of the kitchen. Instead, it was replaced by something sweeter. Bucky stopped a few feet from the door, frowning. He sniffed the air again. Roses, honeysuckle… and cocoa butter. His mind ran through every member of the Avengers – he had been in close contact with each of them, and none left such an imprint on his nose.

A humming soon caught his attention. Pitchy, but still pleasant enough – the sound of someone who truly enjoyed the music they listened to. Bucky stepped closer towards the door, and gently pushed it open. His heart leapt to his throat as he glanced inside.

A stranger stood by the kettle; headphones pressed against her ears as she focused on stirring a sugar into her steaming cup. Bucky watched her, slightly awkward, as she nodded her head in time with her music. When she turned, drink in hand, she finally spotted him.

“Oh!” she let out a laugh after she had yelped in surprise, and slipped her headphones around her neck, “you scared me.” She gestured to the kettle behind her. “Would you like a drink? Water’s still hot.”

Bucky blinked, his mouth opening a little. _It took Natasha weeks to offer him a drink – it’s taken three seconds with this girl_. “Coffee, please. Just black.” He couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“Sure thing,” she placed her own mug down, and quickly made him his cup. Bucky slid himself into one of the stools on the breakfast bar as she passed him his cup. She sat opposite him, blowing on her own drink and taking a sip. “I’m [Y/N], by the way. I’m guessing you’re Bucky?”

Nodding, he took a gulp from his own drink. “I didn’t know you existed until yesterday.”

[Y/N] laughed again, “Fury told me that you’d joined, but that was all he said.”

“Where were you, anyway?” Bucky fidgeted slightly. It always made him uncomfortable when people knew more about him then he did about them.

Before she could answer, a loud yell sounded from the doorway which made Bucky jump. Sam and Clint ran into the room, barely giving [Y/N] enough time to put her drink down before the engulfed her in a tight embrace. [Y/N] practically disappeared from sight between the two huge men.

“You’re back!”

“Don’t _ever_ leave like that again!”

[Y/N] patted them both on the arms, her lips stretched wide in a grin, “Fury didn’t give me much of a choice.”

Clint wrapped his arms around her shoulders, resting his chin on her head. “But still. Movie nights have been extra lonely. Natasha’s too sharp to cuddle.”

It seemed like the boys’ yell had woken the rest of the Tower. Each other Avenger trailed in, each equally excited to have their teammate back. Bucky watched with silent interest. Never had he seen Natasha show a hint of affection, towards anybody, but here she was, _smiling_ and _hugging_ alongside Wanda. Tony even swooped to kiss [Y/N]’s forehead, and Thor’s booming voice when he twirled her around made him wince slightly.

Steve, after greeting her (and calling her ‘ _kid_ ’’), clapped a hand on Bucky’s back, and giving him that ‘I told you so’ look he was just so darn good at. Bucky rolled his eyes.

“Would anyone like a drink?” [Y/N] moved to stand up, but Tony rested a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back down. She pouted slightly.

“You’ve been gone for a year and we’ve _missed you._ Sit down.”

“What mission did Fury have you on?” Bruce asked curiously, leaning against the counter. A little ball of jealousy rolled around Bucky’s stomach. _He had asked first._

[Y/N] began outlining her mission. She left out the grisly details, just telling them that she worked for a company linked with H.Y.D.R.A., and had to schmooze her way to the boss’ bedroom to get the dirty secrets.

Bucky’s eyebrows rose up his forehead, his shirt suddenly getting too tight as heat washed over him. The idea of [Y/N] … flirting, made his head spin slightly. Where was this coming from? He barely knew the girl.

But as the day continued, and [Y/N] slot into the everyday life of the Avengers, Bucky soon felt like he had known her for years.

Steve was right when he said she’d do anything for anyone. In the first day she’d been back, [Y/N] made approximately 14 drinks for the crew (not that he was counting). She made lunch for her and Natasha to have after their workout and demanded that she made dinner for everyone to celebrate being home. Even Bucky tried to object, but she wasn’t having any of it.

At the end of the day, Bucky went to bed with a newfound excitement brewing in his belly. He was looking forward to getting to know her more, to see the girl the Avengers all loved. Bucky dozed off, thoughts of coffee and [Y/N] on his mind.

\---

Bucky didn’t hate living in the Tower, but there was always something _off_. However, when [Y/N] arrived, everything seemed to click into place. He couldn’t explain it, but she made the Tower more… alive.

He didn’t know how one person could be happy all the time. It was almost a rule that an Avenger had to a little bit miserable… but she was completely the opposite. [Y/N] was a surprising ray of sunshine in Bucky’s otherwise miserable life.

The kitchen was filled with her singing when she baked, a speciality Bucky found he loved. She giggled her way through meetings, unable to keep a straight face when Clint stuck his tongue out at her. She mimicked his expressions at Bucky, who’s lips quirked into a smile.

Bucky observed her from a distance, wary to get too close. He found that she liked having her hair played with. She had her coffee as sweet as her. She cried at the endings of happy movies. Her favourite colour was yellow. She preferred practising meditation with Bruce than training hand to hand combat.

It was odd to think that she was one of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s specialist Agents. Bucky couldn’t imagine [Y/N] using a gun or breaking someone’s neck. She was too _soft_.

“Don’t underestimate her, Tin Man.” Tony had muttered once whilst he was tinkering with Bucky’s arm. “I’ve seen her loose it. I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that.”

Bucky’s eyes widened slightly, twitching when a slight electrical charge travelled through his arm as Tony nudged a wire. “What happened?”

The scientist’s mouth set in a hard line, and he quirked an eyebrow. “The first mission we went on together was to Nepal. We went undercover to a soiree, of sorts, and we got split up. By the time I managed to get to her, there were a total of four dead bodies and one seriously traumatised girl. She was eighteen.”

There was a silence between them, bar the hum that radiated from Bucky’s arm. Bucky looked back up at Tony, confused. Tony looked back down at his work. “She hasn’t ever said what they did to her.”

The rest of the session was quiet.

\---

Bucky tossed and turned all night but sleep never came. His head was filled with thoughts of [Y/N], but this time they weren’t as rose tinted. He wanted to know what happened. Tony’s words had rattled him. How could she still be so perfect, so positive, after experiencing something incomprehensible?

Stretching, Bucky sighed, and accepted the fact that he wasn’t getting any sleep anytime soon. Instead, he grabbed his trunks and a towel. A midnight swim would do him good.

The elevator to the roof seemed to last forever, and Bucky tapped his foot impatiently. Finally, the doors slid open, but what he saw made him stop in his tracks.

The moonlight illuminated [Y/N]’s body perfectly. Her ochre bikini wrapped around her chest, which Bucky blinked at, before he tore his eyes away. Her eyes were closed as she floated on her back, looking as angelic as the Asgardians. Bucky just stood, too awkward to say anything, content to watch.

“You can join me if you want.”

[Y/N] cracked open one eye, her lips stretching into the smile Bucky had grown to love. Bucky chuckled with embarrassment, dropping his towel on one of the loungers.

“Sorry for starin’.”

He slipped in, the water cool as it came to rest just above his chest. He turned onto his back, propelling his way through the waves until he came to rest next to [Y/N].

“S’Alright. You’ve probably had this pool to yourself for a couple of months, huh?” she turned her head slightly, her hair swirling around her. “Sorry for interrupting your time.”

“It was yours first.” [Y/N] chuckled at Bucky’s words. The two slipped into an easy silence, the only sounds coming from the blurred murmurs of the city below.

Bucky turned his own head, watching her peacefully. He admired the shape of her nose, the curves of her lips, the delicate scars littering her skin. It was like he was finally seeing her, and she was beautiful.

“What’s on your mind, Bucky?” she murmured, “I can tell you’re thinking about something. You’ve gone all quiet.”

Bucky floundered slightly, his chin dipping below the water. “I’m always quiet.”

“That’s true.” [Y/N] gracefully shifted so she was treading water and looked at him curiously. “You can talk to me about anything you know? I know we don’t know each other too well, but I do care about you.”

He smiled slightly, before copying her movement. He looked in her eyes, and a wave of anxiety floated over him as he looked her over.

“Stark told me about Nepal.”

The change in [Y/N]’s demeanour would’ve been unnoticeable to the untrained eye, but Bucky saw it clear as day. Her easy smile twitched slightly, and her chest rose with a sharp intake of breath. Her throat bobbed when she swallowed.

“Did he? That’s interesting.”

She turned, slowly swimming her way to the edge of the pool. Bucky watched as she pulled herself to sit on the ledge, water dripping down her body. He felt his heart thump a little harder. He followed suit, his own actions a lot less elegant than hers, and sat next to her with his legs swaying in the water. His hand rested next to hers, their pinkie fingers brushing together.

After a few moments of silence, Bucky glanced over at her. Her face showed no emotion, but her raised eyebrows and partly pursed lips told a thousand stories.

“I don’t understand how something bad happened to someone so good.” He said quietly, shifting his eyes back to the glinting water below him.

Her lyrical chuckle was tinged with sourness, [Y/N] shook her head. “I’m not good, Bucky.” At that, he looked up with a frown, catching her eyes with his.

“You don’t mean that.” He gaped incredulously, “you’re the most selfless person I know.” At her disbelieving silence, Bucky continued. “You’d do anything for this team. If Steve asked you to jump off a damn cliff you would. Yesterday, I saw you talk to Fury about volunteering for the next undercover mission when you _know_ you deserve a break. You go running with Sam even when you’re tired, and you help Wanda train her powers even though she’s fucking _scary_. You’ve gone out of your way to make me feel comfortable here, even though you don’t know me.”

“And you don’t know me,” [Y/N] whispered, a tear cascading down her cheek.

“But I want to.” Bucky moved his hand so it was atop hers, and their fingers curled together.

[Y/N] took a deep breath. She normally emitted a bright, friendly aura, but at that moment, gloom settled around her. Her voice was quiet, but loud enough in the silent night. “In Nepal, when Tony and I got separated, four of the targets henchmen cornered me in a room. They locked me in, wouldn’t let me leave, and-” her voice stuttered slightly. “They tried to- tried to touch me, to rip my dress off me…”

Bucky suppressed a growl, anger already rippling over him. He felt [Y/N] tighten her grip on his hand and forced himself to breathe through his nose. “Sorry,” he muttered, “just makes me fuckin’ angry.”

“I know, Buck. Me too.” [Y/N] offered him a slight smile. “Don’t worry, they were dead before they could get their hands on me.”

“I don’t understand.” Bucky looked over at her, confusion over his face. “I can’t imagine you hurting a fly.”

[Y/N] scoffed slightly, “then you _really_ don’t know me. I’m angry all the time about it. It’s on my mind _constantly_. That’s why I’m always trying to do things for other people. Keeping positive all the time is a good distraction. Fake it till you make it kind of deal.”

It dawned on him as he watched her speak. He was wrong – she wasn’t soft, she was stronger than anyone. “You’re the fiercest woman I’ve ever met.”

This time, [Y/N]’s chuckle was genuine. “Thanks, Bucky.” She looked up at him, and Bucky was lost in her eyes for a second. He wanted to stay in that moment forever. Just the two of them, in the cool night of the city, sharing stories, and understanding each other better.

[Y/N] rested her head on his shoulder, her wet hair dangling over his arm. “I know we said we don’t know each other, but I’d like that to change.” She murmured.

A swooping feeling of butterflies erupted in Bucky’s stomach, and his heart stuttered.

“I’d like that. I really would.”


End file.
